Comic store fails...

Having seen Dredd a few days back, I decided to go to the local comic stores to buy a graphic novel and read it, since I haven't read anything Dredd in years. Gah, what a fail!

First comic store had no Dredd comics at all. The counter guy said nothing was available through the distributors, though some collections would be coming in maybe next month.

Second comic store had some old issues and even a few old graphic novels. All were marked up over cover price as collectibles. Blah. I'm interested in Dredd, but not that interested.

Giving up, I went over to the Barnes & Noble to look at books. They had a paperback with three old Dredd novels collected in it, all three Judge Dredd Complete Casefiles (collections similar to the black and white Marvel Essentials books), several issues of the Judge Dredd magazine, and a new Judge Dredd graphic novel (with werewolves). And I have a membership there so I get 10% off.

So, big chain store that only has a couple bays of comics has tons of Dredd stuff available, at discount. One comic store has nothing Dredd at all. The other comic store has some old stuff marked up over cover price. Guess who got my money?

DC Comics New 52 - What I'm still reading

Months ago, when DC did its big relaunch, I reviewed a number of Issue #1s (click HERE to read them). I've largely dropped most of the comic series, but there are still a few I enjoy.

I currently only subscribe to Aquaman and Suicide Squad. Both have been consistently excellent. The writing is good, and the artwork is good to great (depending on the artist). I still wish Harley had kept her old outfit, though. Her new one pretty much sucks.

I've also recently gotten Issue #1 of Earth-2. It's easily the best first issue DC has done in this relaunch. I highly recommend it if you haven't read it yet. I won't post spoilers, but I suspect most comics fans will love this issue. I'm also subscribing to this, and I really hope they can maintain it.

Avengers Movie

I won't post spoilers, but I will say this movie is fantastic! Easily the best supers movie I've seen (and that's saying something, compared to Captain America last year). If you have not seen it yet, you really need to go watch it.

9/10 (I'd rate it a 10 but for some very minor things I didn't care for. If you're not a comics nerd, it's probably a 10/10).

Alternate World Manhattan

I'm going to start up a series of blog posts on an alternate Earth's Manhattan. It should be readily usable for supers or urban fantasy. You will see references to popular comics characters. I will change the Mayor and other people, so that I can make them corrupt as needed, without a real-life lawyer suing me. (It should be obvious, but I am in no way claiming ownership of any DC, Marvel, etc. properties). 

Manhattan-86 (Earth-86)

What’s Different?

Many things are the same, yet there are a number of changes. The year is 2012. The Towers still fell. However, the city has not gone through gentrification and many neighborhoods are similar to how they were in the 1970’s and 1980’s. The nice areas are very nice, but the bad areas are still bad. The rich whites have not pushed the locals out of most of southern Manhattan.

Another big difference is that camera phones have not caught on. Some people have them, but most don’t. This prevents vigilantes and criminals from getting caught as easily as they might. In addition, New York has not installed thousands of street cameras. They tried, but the idea was shot down in court as an invasion of privacy.

RICO was shot down by Congress, so organized crime is much stronger than it would be, otherwise. A lot of the big Dons are pretty much untouchable by the police. Kingpin runs all of New York City, as well as the surrounding cities. The various Families work for him.

There are still a lot of mom-and-pop shops, and the big chain stores have not taken over the shopping and restaurant businesses.

Big changes coming to DC 52

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The following titles are being cancelled (around issue 8): 

Men Of War
Mister Terrific
O.M.A.C.
Hawk And Dove
Blackhawks
Static Shock

New titles will be:
Batman Incorporated - Writer: Grant Morrison, picking up from pre-boot continuity

Dial H - W: China Mieville Artist: Mateus Santoluoco, covers by Brian Bolland, relaunching the Dial H for Hero concept

Earth 2 - W: James Robinson, A: Nicola Scott  = JSA!!!!

Worlds' Finest - W: Paul Levitz, A: Kevin Maguire/George Perez - starring the Earth 2 versions of Power Girl and Huntress

G.I. Combat - W: J.T. Krul, A: Ariel Olivetti - picking up some of those great weird war stuff of old, like War That Time Forgot and the Haunted Tank

The Ravagers - W:Howard Mackie, A: Ian Churchill - spins out of Teen Titans/Superboy

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Rob Liefeld will have more of a presence in DC's "The New 52" than ever, joining the creative team of three ongoing series in May.

Liefeld will be plotting both The Savage Hawkman and Grifter, as well as writing and illustrating Deathstroke, replacing previous series writer Kyle Higgins and artist Joe Bennett. How this affects the existing Hawkman writing team of Tony Daniel & James Bonny and Grifter writer Nathan Edmondson is currently unclear. Liefeld joins all three series as of their ninth issues.

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How the heck letting Liefeld work on even more comics, after his own was one of the worst ever published, is a good idea is beyond me. I swear, he has some really good blackmail on Stan Lee or something.

DC Reboot - Supergirl

Supergirl #1

The story begins with an asteroid shower very similar to Superman's. Some undefined organization (I'm guessing SHIELD) tracks it. Supergirl pops out of an asteroid in Siberia. She isn't sure what's going on and at first thinks she is dreaming. Then she gets attacked by guys in power armor.

It's a pretty action-packed issue, but with little characterizations that are fairly revealing, showing Supergirl's thoughts as she is trying to figure out what is going on.

The art was very good. I thought Supergirl's outfit was pretty good. The armor suits looked cool.

I liked the issue. It is mostly from Supergirl's point of view, and she is confused, and so was I. I'm sure things will be cleared up next issue, but it would have been nice for there to be some kind of ID for the power armor military guys.

DC Reboot - Justice League Dark

Justice League Dark #1

This series forms a Justice League variant that deals with the occult. The members apparently will include John Constantine, Zatanna, Deadman, and Shade. Madame Xanadu is in this issue, though I don't know if she will be a member of the League or not. Same with some girl named June Moone, though I suspect she is just a fulcrum point.

Enchantress has apparently gone insane is the "villain". The regular Justice League attempts to deal with her but get smacked down. So various magical superheros are magically pulled together to form their own team.

The artwork was very good. The first issue is really just setting stuff up. Some things happen, but mostly, the reader is left guessing. It's obvious that the team's formation will cover several issues.

I liked this comic. It wasn't amazing, but it was pretty good. I think issue #2 will have to be read before I can really decide if this series will be great. I will buy it to make sure. I will definitely be picking up the graphic novel, and I might subscribe to the regular issues.

DC Comic Reboot - Catwoman

Catwoman #1

The comic starts in an action scene. Selina then meets her fence, who I assume will be a recurring NPC in this series. She then goes undercover at a Russian mob party, looking for information on items to steal. We get to see a little bit of her backstory, as she meets someone she knew when she was younger.

Then Selina and Batman meet. I won't post spoilers, but I think many long-term Batman fans will either be really excited or kind of annoyed. I fall in the annoyed camp.

This comic was ok. That's about all I can say for it. It had some good parts, but I think the Batman scene was just fan service that doesn't feel right.

I was a pretty big fan of the Catwoman series by Brubaker and Cooke back in 2002. So I had high hopes for this series. If that series was released today, I'd be excited about it. Too bad it wasn't.

The art was pretty good. Not amazing, but no badly drawn scenes, either. I might buy the graphic novel, but that's pretty iffy. I think most people would be safe avoiding this comic.

DC Comic Reboot - Aquaman

Aquaman #1

Aquaman is in Boston at the start of this series. Apparently, he grew up there. He's also become bulletproof. I'm not sure if this is brand-new, or something that came about in the last few years.

It's an interesting story, taking square aim at many of Aquaman's critics. The robbers laugh at him, the cops make jokes about him, and a blogger tells him he's second-rate. And yet, he wants to remain on land and defend humanity. I'd say he's a stand-up guy.

I also love the bit where he goes to a seafood restaurant and orders fish and chips, and the whole place just stares at him and tells him he can't do that.

And Cthulhuesque deep ones are the apparent new bad guy that he will have to deal with soon.

The artwork was really good. Really, some of the best I've seen in the #1's.

The story was excellent, and was written by Geoff Johns. I will definitely be buying the graphic novel. I'm strongly considering subscribing, as well.

DC Comic Reboot - Men of War

Men of War #1

Or, more realistically, Sergeant Rock #1. There are two stories in this, the main story about Sgt. Rock, and an unrelated mini-story in the back. This is the same format the old Sgt. Rock comics always had, so I think it's kind of cool.

The main story is about Corporal Rock joining some kind of insertion unit and parachuting behind enemy lines to recover a captured Senator. It is set in the modern day Middle East. The original Sgt. Rock is mentioned as this one's grandfather. The group is on their mission when a superhero blasts through the area. The superhero causes lots of deaths, and appears completely out of any kind of military control. The soldiers don't know what he is, and are even wondering whose side he is on. In the end, Rock makes Sergeant.

The art was really good, and the story was interesting. It really makes you think about what happens when a superhero decides to jump into an active warzone on his own without talking things over with the military first.

The mini-story is the first of a 3-parter on a Navy SEAL team in the Middle East. The group is on a black op when they get attacked by a sniper. The story and characterization were ok. I was a different writer than the Sgt. Rock story. There was a lot more explanation than felt natural, for SEALs who supposedly know each other and know combat. I know it's aimed at explaining things to civvies, but it didn't feel right. It was also a different artist, who was ok, not great.

Overall, I liked the issue. I will probably buy the graphic novel when it is released.

DC Comic Reboot - Detective Comics

Detective Comics #1

Batman vs. The Joker. Could this series have started any other way? Heck no! It was a decent story. Most of the pages were fight scenes. Batman is not a super martial artist in this, which I like. He's still tough in a fight, but the Joker comes quite close to defeating him.

The cops and the Mayor are after Batman, considering him a rogue vigilante. Chief Gordon is still his friend, and the bat signal is used.

The art was a mix. I liked everything except the new Batman design. It looks like Bruce Wayne has invested heavily in steroids. Not a good look, at all.

Overall, a good issue. I will buy the graphic novel when it gets published. It's not worth a subscription, to me.

DC Comic Reboot - Swamp Thing

Swamp Thing #1


Another excellent comic. The story is creepy, with birds and bats falling dead out of the sky, and an old dinosaur skeleton coming to life and creating zombies. The main character is working as a construction worker, after leaving his biology lab. He had been Swamp Thing, but doesn't remember much of his time as the monster. He meets Superman, since Superman is trying to figure out what is going on. There is no big battle, but this issue sets up the upcoming issues very well.

I really liked the art, except that the artist gave Superman a fat face. It just doesn't look right. Other than that, it's fantastic throughout.

I give this series a thumbs-up, as well. I will definitely buy the graphic novel when it is published.

DC Comic Reboot - Suicide Squad

Suicide Squad #1

This issue is basically how the team gets started. It's a bunch of supervillains being used to take out targets for someone in the government. Each of the team members had a bomb implanted in their skull to guarantee their cooperation.

I liked it a lot. The initial team includes: Harley Quinn, Deadshot, El Diablo, King Shark, Savant, Black Spider, and Voltaic.

It's very dark. Harley comes across as much more psychotically evil than the goofy evil she's usually portrayed as. Batman makes a minor appearance with Deadshot. King Shark is just nasty, chomping someone and yelling "Meat! Meat! Meat!". El Diablo feels like a fire-using thug who still has a code of honor.

Each of these characters gets a mini-story saying how they got captured. Not all of the Squad got mini-stories this issue, I suspect they will get theirs next issue.

The art was very good. Harley got a new costume, which I don't like as much as her old one, but it's still good.

I really liked this comic. I may actually subscribe and buy each issue. If you like the darker Batman or Punisher stories, you'll likely love this.

DC Comic Reboot - Action Comics

I'm going to be sorta hijacking my own blog to post about the various DC #1 issues that I'm reading. I'm tired of posting here and LJ for stuff that's kind of related.

I'm only going to buy a few of the #1's, and then wait for graphic novel compilations. Comics are too damn expensive! Seriously, $3 or $4 an issue, all of which are less than 30 pages?! Just wanted to post my impressions of the ones I've read.

Action Comics #1

Superman! He can leap tall buildings and can be hurt if he gets hit hard enough. This seems a flashback to the early 30's version, and I like it. He fights a crime boss, and has Lex Luthor attempting to capture him. The police are also trying to arrest him. Apparently, he is once again the worlds first superhero, so the law really doesn't know how to handle him.

I liked the story. It had some nice action, and introduced many of the main characters (Jimmy Olsen and Lois Lane also appear). The comic really needed an extra 5 or 10 pages to develop things, though. The story just jumps forward instead of smoothly progressing. I suspect this will be a fault of the entire line, as there really just aren't enough pages available for good storytelling.

The art was decent, not great. I wish they had used a better artist on this line, as well. I liked Superman's and Jimmy's look, but Lois and Lex both looked a bit off. Just my opinion, though.

In all, I recommend this issue to anyone who likes Superman. I hope the writing quality remain high, and they can figure out how to deal with so few pages per issue a little better.